The Tom Kha Kai that is tastier than in Thailand

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: the tom kha kai that is tastier than in Thailand.

BAUT is a phenomenon, both within and far outside Amsterdam. Chef-owner Michiel van der Eerde set the standard for pop-up restaurants in the Netherlands with his groundbreaking BAUT concept. BAUT stands for raw, rebellious, quirky, and above all: temporary. Because each time BAUT moved to new, spectacular, and temporary locations in the capital. Now, 8 years and 7 restaurants later, all BAUT classics, such as this tom kha kai, and stories are compiled in one unique cookbook.

INGREDIENTS
For the broth ½ bunch of coriander
1½ liters of chicken stock
1 full tbsp. tom kha kai paste
50 g fresh ginger root, peeled and crushed
3 red chili peppers, crushed
2 stalks of lemongrass, crushed
500 ml coconut cream
2 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp. chili sauce
250 ml fish sauce (nam pla)
½ dl lime juice
100 ml ginger syrup

For the crispy chicken
30 g fresh ginger root, peeled
½ red chili pepper
1 stalk of lemongrass
250 g chicken thighs
salt

For the garnish
a few pak choi leaves
2 spring onions
Dutch mushrooms
½ red chili pepper
4 sprigs of coriander, finely chopped
100 g bean sprouts

Michiel: “I used to go to Thailand on vacation often and of course I regularly ate tom kha kai there. And often I thought: I can do this better. There was a demand for a soup for lunch. So I seized my chance and made my own version, without the traditional garnishes. A soup that is so intense in flavor that we also use the base as a sauce for other dishes. And the organic chicken used in this soup is many times more tender than in a traditional bowl of tom kha kai from Thailand.”

How to make the tom kha kai

• Cut off the stems of the coriander. Keep the leaves and let the stems steep in the broth. Pour the chicken stock into a large pot and stir in the tom kha kai paste until it is dissolved. Add all the other ingredients for the broth, bring to a boil, and let the broth simmer on low heat until all the flavors have blended. Strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot and discard the contents of the sieve.
• For the chicken, cut the ginger, chili pepper, and lemongrass stalk into large pieces. Heat a frying pan until it is hot, place the chicken thighs in it and brown them all around. Add the ginger, chili pepper, and lemongrass and let everything cook on medium heat until the chicken is crispy and cooked through. Cut the chicken into small strips and set aside. Discard the remaining flavorings, as they will not be used anymore.
• Cut the pak choi, spring onion, mushrooms, and chili pepper into strips. Serve the soup in deep bowls and place a generous handful of garnish in it. Finally, sprinkle the soup with the coriander.

Title: BAUT
Author: Michiel van der Eerde
Price: €35
Publisher: Fontaine

Image: Jakob van Vliet